Nautical toy



March 8,k 1932. E. c. AANSEN 1,848,880

NAUTICAL TOY Filed April 1G 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4Z/ i; /y

1N VEN TOR.

C Hanse/1, A I

ABY v/I/ f'` f5 JM l A.

/7 ATTORNEY.

March 8, 1932. E, Q HANSEN 1,848,880 l l NAUTICAL TOY Filed Aprilv 16, 1931 2 SheBtlS-Sheet 42 INVENTOR.

27717 @fifa/1567i A TTGRNE Y.

Patented Mar. it, 1932 unirti-:n sraras PArsNr EMILE. HANSEN; F MEDIAPENNSYLV2TIA, SBIGNOB OF '.'iNli-EALF TO` ROBERT FUSSELL, 0FIEDIA, PENNSYLVANIA The present invention relates to toys and more particularly to a nautical toy for controlling boat or ship movements.

Some of the objects of the present invention are to provide a novel; entertaining and instructive' toy. employing the use of boats; to provide a nautical toy'wherein boats are caused to travel without visible means of pro'-` pulsion; to provide a nautical toy wherein lactual navigating conditions can be reproduced in miniature; to provide a device which functions as an educational means to instruct 'in the use of a compass and the control of a vessel so vthat the latter follows a definite course to rovide a docking means for miniature'vesse; to provide an electrically operated and controlled toy utilizing a tank of water and boats'thereon; and to rovide other improvements-as will hereina er appear.

AIn the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents a plan of a nautical toy embodying one form of the present invention; Fig. 2 represents af' plan in part section with the water trough removed; Fig. 3 representsk a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 represents an end elevation from the control box end of the device; Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 represents a diagram of the electric circuits and associated parts; and Fig. 7 represents a detail of the compass needle control mechanism.

Referring to the drawings one form of the present invention consists of a receptacle 10 having a bottom-11 and sides 12` the latter rising` well above thebottom 11 in order to receive a trough 13 in which the water for ioatingl the toy boatslll is contained. As here shown the trough 13I has marginal flanges l5 which seat upon theiop of the sides 12 and thus support the trough in suspended operative`-position while allowing it to be lifted out whenever necessary. The depth of the trough 13 While suiiicient to hold an amount of water for flotation purposes is such as to provide a chamber v16 above the bottom l1 ofthe receptacle 10. wWhile 'the receptacle 10 is illustrated as of rectangular shape it is to be understood that this is not a limitation of the invention, as in some instances'Y other For the pur ose of imparting motion to the boats 14 each as a hull either of soft iron or of some other substance with an` attached metal part designed to act as the armature of a magnet, the essential thingbeing that the boat is caused to be drawn toward a magnetic" field produced for the purpose of moving the boat in a, certain direction. To this end therefore a plurality of magnet coils 17 are mounted upon the bottom 11 Within, the chamber 16 and in such close proximity to the bottom of the trough 13 as to insure the ma etic field or flux from any energized coil l permeatesthe water in the tank 13 in a restricted area so that-any boat within the. range of the field will be caused to move toward the attracting area. The tank 13 is of zinc though it may be of any materialwhich does not act to obstruct the ma etic lines of force. The arrangement of t ie coils 17 may be haphazard but preferably they are given a very deinite and related position, one being below each docking place of a boat and the others arranged so that a predetermined sha es may be found more desirable in order `to simulate actual nautical courses.

course laid out with respect to compass points the coils17 each has e to a common return which in this instance is a metallic lining 20 serving as a ground and to which thel respective coil ends are lconductively attached.y A conductor 21 leads from the ground lining 20 to one terminal 22 of the secondary of a step-down transformer 23. The other end of each coil 17 is connected by a conductor 19 to a selecting device which in this instance consists cfa commutator type of switch having as many terminal contacts 24 as there are magnet coils 17 and to each of which one of the conductors 19 is connected. A contacter in the form of a rotatable switch arm 25 is arranged to be moved from one Contact 2li to another in order to make selection of the particular circuit desired. The arm 25 is connected by a conductor 26 with a switch arm 27 of a rheostat 28 which in turn is connected to the terminal 30 of the transformer 23, the

said terminal being one et the transformer secondary of which the terminal :22 is the other end. s

As a. means for rotating the commutator switch arm 25 it is tast to av spindle El which is here vertically mounted and is joucnalled at its loiver end in a support partition 32 and at its upper end in a bracket 33 lifted to the inside o? the top 34 of a box 35. Fast to the e :edle 3l is a bevel gear 3G in mesh with a lil# ear 37 fast to a shaft. 38 journalled in an extension of the bracket 33 and carrying a control Wheel on its end and in a position :for convenient manipulation.

For indicating the course a boat is to take with relation to the points of the compass the top 34 of the box 35 mounts a compass 41 having' the usual encircling' direction abbreviations so that the hoX 35 with its associated parts can lbe positioned for use with the north properly oriented. ln this construction the compass needle 42 is arranged to follow the rotation ot' the control spindle 31 by providing;y a magnetized arm 43 which is fast to the spindle 3l and extends radially therefrom to swing -in a plane parallel to the plane ot the needle 42 and in such close proximity thereto as to subject the needle to the 'linx eminations. Hence as the spindle $31 is turned the. mag-netized arm 43 follows its movement and thus causes the needle 42 to swing in a corresponding manner. It follo 'therefore by selecting a point of the compass, for example NE., and turning the control Wheel 40. that the needle 42 can be swung to NE. position and when it reaches that position the contacter 25 will engage the Contact 24 to close the circuit of the magnet coill? which corresponds to that position and the result isthe boat will he drawn in a NE. direction.

At suitable locations docks 44 are fixed to the sides 12 and provide one or more slips 45 into which the boat or boats can be guided, it being` understood that one of the magnet coils 17 is located near the entrance to each slip 45, Wlhen a boat is in one of the slips 45 it is desirable that it be held against Working' its Way out due to movement of the Wat-er or for other reasons and to that end a drag or brake plate 41" is pivoted to the dock frame on a horizontal pivot 47 so located as to contact with the bottom of a boat in the slip in one position. and in its non-holding position to be ou t of contact therewith. A counter weicht 48 is carried by the dock end of the plate and the arrangement is such ythat when the plate 46 is free to move the Weight 48. will swing; it up to boat engaging' position Where the pressure is suilicientto hold the boat in the slip 45. The plate 46 is of material or carries material to act as an armature and move in response to magnetic flux and therefore when the control coil at the entrance to a slip is energized the plate intenso 4G will be pulled down counter to the action ot the Weight 48 and so held until the boat is out in the Wat-er and the coil deencrgized.

In order to fully approximate actual ship starting, stopping and control conditions manually operable bell 50 is mounted in the control box 35 to simulate engine room signals on the boats. Also a buzz-er or the like can be connected into the circuit and controlled by a hand switch 52 so as to reproduce Whistle signals.

Since it is desirable to have 'the device simulate actual operating conditions and present nautical problems such as met in the navigation of rivers and other bodies of Water the arrangement of the course directing magnets 17 is differenttor different locations. Naturally the arrangement of magnets for all devices representing the same course are the same. In the arrangement illustrated the magnets are located to simulate on a small scale the course of vessels leaving a dock in Chester, Pennsylvania, proceeding to Philadelphia, and docking at the latter port. That this course can be accurately charted by the user of the device, a course chart 53 is attached to the top of the control box 35 or other convenient visible location and has printed thereon the required course data so that by successively setting the compass needle 42 in accordance with the charted direction, the magnet coils 1? will be correspondingly energized to cause the boat to proceed upon the designated course. The advanced operator can it desired ignore the furnished directions and Work directly from a chart of that locality as supplied to all navigator-s. F

While only a single form is shown in which this invention may he embodied, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to any specific construction, but might be applied to various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope `of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A nautical tov comprising; a trough for holding water, a boat loatable on said Water and responsive to a magnetic iluX, a plurality of electro-magnets located below said trough, a compass. a source of electrical energv, and means including a switch to selectively energize said magnets and to cause said compass to indicate the course defined from one selected magnet to another.

2. A nautical toy comprising a trough for holding water, a boat floatable on said water and responsive to a magnetic Eux, a plurality of electro-magnets located to create a magnetic flux, when energized` to inlluence said boat, a compass, means including a device for selectively energizing said magnets, a source of electrical energy, and means for synchronizing the movement of the needle of said com ass with said device whereby the course o said boat is indicated from one selected magnet to another magnet.

3. A nautical toy comprising a trough for holdingr water, a boat loatable on said Water and responsive to a magnetic flux, a plurality ot" electro-magnets located to create a magnetic flux when energized to influence said boat, a'souice of electrical energy, means for selectively energizing said magnets, and a compass having a needle responsive to' said selecting means.

4. A nautical toy comprising a trough' for holding water, aboat fioatable on said water and responsive to a magnetic iiux, a plurality of electro-magnets located to create a magnetic flux when energized to influence said boat, a source of electrical energy, a

plurality of circuits for the respective magnets, a switch for selectively closing said circuits, a compass, and means responsive to the movement of said switch for actuating said compass.

5. A nautical toy comprising a trough for holding water. a boat ioatable on said water and responsive to a magnetic flux, a plurality of electro-magnets located to creata magnetic iiux whenV energized to iniiuence said boat, a source of electrical energy, a plurality of circuits for the respective magnets, switch means including a rotatable axis for selectively closing said circuits, a compass, and a magnet carried by said axis and located to cause the'needle of said compass to follow the movement of said switch.

6. A nautical toy comprising a trough for holding water. a boat floata-ble on said water, a dock for said boat, a pivoted holding member submerged in said dock, a weight normally pressing said member against said boat to hold said boat in said dock, and an electro-magnet arranged when energized to release said member from' said boat.

7. A nautical toy comprising a trough for holding water, a boat fioatable on said water and responsive to a. magnetic iiux, a plural- -ity of electro-magnets located to create a magnetic flux when energized to influence said boat, a source of electric energy, means for selectively energizing said magnets and an indicator responsive to said selective means.

Signed at Media, county of Delaware, State of Pennsylvania, this 8th day of April,

EMIL C. HANSEN. 

